The Berlin Wall Destruction of Communism

Akash Ramalingam Junior Division Individual Website

Process Paper
I chose the Berlin Wall because last year I did a project on communism, and I really wanted to follow up on that. I decided to do just that, and use the Berlin Wall as my topic. I knew from the background reading I did last year, the basic and fundamental information. I just needed for that to grow. My knowledge about Post - WWII times greatly helped me. I also learned much more about how communism works.

The first thing I did was to look up biographies and autobiographies about people who lived in Germany at the time. I asked my history teacher about this time period to see if she could give me some information. After that, I started to use online resources for my research. Certain websites such as, Spartacus Educational, Digital History played key parts in my project. I used audio excerpts, as well as books and online databases. A book, "The Berlin Wall and the Intra - German border 1961 - 89", was one of my best sources, although it wasnt a primary resource. When I acquired information, I wrote it onto my notes and started thinking about my research and process papers. I outlined them both and started to revise and edit them. Once this was finished, I separated my primary and secondary resources for my bibliography. My final copy of the research paper and bibliography went through my NHD teacher and got her seal of approval. Thus officially starting my National History Day journey. My project would now require some thought. I had to decide on what Im going to do. I chose to do a website.

I started collecting videos, audio excerpts, and photos for my website. I would have to incorporate my thesis statement into my website. A timeline would be included as well as what happened during the final moments of the Berlin Wall's life. I ensured that the gathered information was summarized to convey the historical significance of this topic. A website suits me because of the amount of digital media on the topic.

My project relates to the theme, since the Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall was a major turning point in history. The Berlin Wall was a turning point in history because it tore apart lives, separated families, and broke up homes, all for the communist cause. It presented the world, how deadly and inefficient the communist form of government really was. It proved to us, the meaning of the saying; "United we stand, divided we fall." It not only spurred communism to its highest popularity, it also destroyed its credibility and warned the world of its dangerousness. Even though most of the world saw this, some countries still use this ineffective form of government, but they have edited and changed it to fit their own needs in order to function properly.